M3TIN is the project of Istanbul-based songwriter Ahmet Metin Oktay, who directs its AI-assisted vocals and instrumentation. Released on November 6, "Tu m'embrases" is his second French-language single. Its lyrics were rewritten in French from the Turkish composition "Yakıyosun". Sung from a woman's perspective, the song follows a growing attraction; Indonesian engineer Senna SB handled mixing and mastering.

The track reminds me of two different sides of French music. On the one hand, there's French pop, chanson, all the wonderful French variété we all love so much. Clara Luciani came to mind here in particular. On the other hand, there's something reminiscent of French minimalists, particularly the music they wrote for films. I immediately thought of Yann Tiersen and his soundtrack for Amélie. You can hear all the characteristic instruments here: piano, strings playing the catchy arpeggiated passages, and so on.

The female vocals are undeniably sensual, with a slight breathiness in the singer's voice. And speaking of the production and mixing, I found it interesting how much reverb there is on the rimshot at the beginning of the song. It immediately creates the impression of being in some enormous hall. And when you look at the cover art, with the two people meeting on a staircase, it all makes sense. I can almost imagine hearing that rimshot somewhere in that building.

I also enjoyed how the song develops. There's a certain emotional restraint at first, and then, towards the end, it gradually opens up and becomes much more expressive, both the music and the vocals, resonating long after the song has ended, much like that rimshot in an empty hall where the life-defining meeting of two lovers happened.